Automatic cut-off device.



L. D. CROUCH. AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED I'EB.19, 1912.

L Elma/14km Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

LEE B. 'CRQUGH, NEONTA, IJEVI "lrf'tlflt'lil.

AUTOIMATIG GUT-0F DEVICE.

nor-races.

Flpecification of Letters Fatent.

lratented. Mar. ltd, 1913';

Application filed February 19, 1%.? 5230. 76,284.

Devices, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cut oii valves for gas supply mains and electrically operated means for permitting the automatic closing of such valves in the event of fire in the building supplied by the main' It is one aim of the invent-ion to provide an automatically operated cut-oli" valve which may be readily interposed in any gas supply mam of standard size and to provide electrically operated releasing means for the valve which will be of simple construction and may be conveniently arranged. in proper relation to the valve.

The valve ncludes an arm which is carried by its stem and which has connected- With it a spring tending to swing; the arm 1n a direction torotatethe valve to closed position, and the invention contemplates the provision of a stop for-limiting the movement of this valve, which sto may be readily applied to the supply mam adjacent to the valve and will serve not only thefunc tion of a stop but also as a contact point, it

being in a signal circuit in which the casingof the valve is also located,i t beino understood that the arm upon the val ve stem serves as a means to close this circuit when the valve is automatically closed so that the 'valve itself may be of the ordinary rotatable plug type and the stem thereof is indicated by the numeral 3. An arm 4 is secured at one end to the stem 3 snd'a spring 5 is coiled about-the valve stem and has one end secured to the valve casing and its other end "to the arm 4. As illustrated in the drawing, this spring 5 has a tendency to swing the arm 4 downwardly from its full line position and the valve is so constructed and arranged other suitable material.

that upon such. movement of the arm its plug will be rotated to closed position.

A. collar 6 is clamped about the supply main 1 at point adjacent to the valve 2 by means oi:- a nut or bolt 7 and is insulated iroin the said more by a ring 8 of rubber or This collar has formed or fixed upon it, a boss 9 which serves as a stop to limit the downward swinging movement of the arm 4:.

Arranged upon any suitable support 9 adjacent to the supply main 1 are electromagnets 10 and an armature 11 is arranged in advance of these magnets and supported by a leaf spring 12 secured to a post 13 upon the said support 9.' The armature ll is; of course, normally spaced from the cores of he electromagnets 1Q and the arm 4. rests at its free end against tlle'upper end of this armature, as shown in the drawing, it being in this manner held against downward swinging movement. A Wire leads from one of the electromagnets 10 to one pole of battery 15 and a 'WlIE 16 leads from the ,cf which as indicated by the numeral 17, is shown diagrammatic..lly 1n the drawing.

The thermostats 17 are preferably of the fusible type and itwill be understood that they are to be arranged at suitable points within the ditlerent rooms of the building in which the invention is installed and that in the event of fire and the fusing of any one of the thermostatsthe circuit will be completed through the coils 1O andthe armature Will be attracted to the cores of these coils. Upon movement oi the armature from beneath the tree end of the arm hthis arm will be swunguoivn by the spring 5fto assume the dotted line position shown in the drawing. .This movement of the arm will serve to rotate the plug ofthe cut-0d valve to closed position and thereby shut off the supply of gas through the main 1. If desired, a manually operable circuit closing device may be interposed at any convenient point in the Wir l6 and such device may be an ordinary push button, such as indicated by the numeral 18. it Will be-understood, of course,

that any number of buttons or similar de- I electromagnets.

not likely toafl'ect the thermostats, the circuit could be manually closed through the A binding post 19 is located upon the valve casing and; connected thereto is acon- ,ductor wire 20, in which are interposed a number of electric bells 21 arranged within the different rooms of the building or at the different floors thereof, and this wire 20 leads to one terminal of a' battery 22, .the-

' other terminal of which is connected by a the building will in this manner be warned.'

Having thus described the invention What is claimed as new is )In an alarm of the class described, a cut valve, a pipe leading thereto, an arm rigidly connected to the stem of the valve and movable therewith, a spring connectedto the arm and tending to swing the armin a direction toclose the valve, an electromag- I net, an armature for the magnet yieldably supported at its lower end and having its upper end free from support, the free end of the arm normally resting in engagement with the upper end of the armature and held thereby against movement to close the valve, an'electric circuit in which the magnet is located, a circuit closingdevice in said circuit, a binding post upon the casing for the valve, a signal circuit having one terminal connected to the binding post, a collar clamped about the pipe and insulated there from, a contact block rigidly supported by LEE D. cRoUcH. [1,. 8.

Witnesses:

OWEN C. BECKER, JOHN Y. SMITH.

the collar and arranged in the path of move- I 

